


Despite The Odds - We'll Fall In Love

by Kashimalin



Category: Notice Me Senpai! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, Teacher-Student Relationship, techncially crack ships but i'll make them work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:26:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8461786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kashimalin/pseuds/Kashimalin
Summary: These are assorted couple ficlets I've written for the app Notice Me Senpai! I take requests from the NMS Chat on Discord, or through comments, and write your pairing in a scenario for you! Come join us on the chat!These include completed ficlets of various lengths and ships. Some people will be getting together and some will be together. Rating vary from G to T.





	1. Backstage Pass (Ryuu/Wakatoshi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: PirateCaptainBuns in the NMS Chat.  
> Pairing: Ryuu/Wakatoshi

Wakatoshi wasn’t sure why he had been asked backstage after the performance. Or why the Drama Club director had shoved flowers into his arms, rapidly muttering something about how he had to just stand there by the dressing rooms and closets. Wakatoshi hadn’t moved yet. But he was feeling sorely tempted to.

The only reason he hadn’t done so yet was because he had been hoping to see Ryuu. The white-haired boy had asked Wakatoshi to attend the play earlier that week, at the café (with Kohai-chan behind him struggling to stifle a laugh), and he saw no reason to not go. Kyouya-sensei was offering extra credit for attending and he _sorely_ needed it.

There was also the small matter that he had come to admire Ryuu over the past few weeks. It all started when Kohai-chan had to take out his favorite chair from the café because Hinata had spilled some… _thing_ on it and it needed to be cleaned.

Ryuu almost scoffed at the idea of sitting at the tables, but after a small conversation from Kohai-chan, settled in at Wakatoshi’s table, where he had been waiting for Izumi to arrive.

“You. Get out. I want to sit here alone.”

Wakatoshi’s stare rivaled Ryuu’s, and he didn’t budge an inch. The glare from across the way deepened, and still Wakatoshi didn’t move.  
“Are you really going to sit there and defy me like—!”

“Ryuu-senpai!” Kohai-chan came over to the table and set down a plastic cup. “I tried to see if I could replicate the pumpkin latte you like so much. My grandmother helped me with it this weekend.”

He took the cup with a snatch, and began to sip it, his face relaxing as he did so.

When the boy was relaxed, his features were more gentle. His eyes were brighter, and Wakatoshi found himself staring a few moments too long.

The boy turned to look at him, and in an instant, was pulling the cup away and shoving it across the table. “It’s not good enough.” His nose crinkled and his lip turned up. “I’m sure you can improve it.”

Kohai-chan’s shoulders sagged briefly, but she said nothing as she collected the cup and began to already think of ways to improve the drink.

For the next few days it took for the chair to be cleaned, Ryuu took to sitting at Wakatoshi’s table. He had tried sitting at another table when Wakatoshi refused, but despite the fact it had cleared for him instantly, Ryuu found himself missing the delinquent’s company just a _little_ bit. 

He was back again the next day, and attempted to make conversation. Wakatoshi had just wanted to read his book in peace and quiet. Nobody ever bothered him like this. People usually sat far away. Izumi was one of the few people he could tolerate, along with Kohai-chan and on a good day, Touru-kaichou.

This Ryuu character didn’t sit well on either list, but he was leaning towards the “tolerate” side.

Their conversation hadn’t been anything meaningful. They rarely found common ground on a lot of things, but when they did, both their opinions were passionate and in almost total agreement.

 _With us being such polar opposites_ , Wakatoshi thought, _How are we ever getting along?_

The rush of the corridor had begun to vanish as people were changing out of their costumes and people had begun to head home. Props were put away, doors were closing. People were passing him by. Wakatoshi himself was just turning to leave when he saw Ryuu standing at the end of the Drama Club corridor. Beyond him, still on stage in his prince costume, was Tokiya-san. He was holding multiple bouquets in his arms.

Ryuu was holding none.

Wakatoshi suddenly understood why Kurou-san had thrust the flowers into his arms. And why he had Wakatoshi wait back in the wings.

“…These are for you,” he said bluntly, holding his arms out in an almost robotic movement.

Ryuu could only stare, before he opened his mouth once, closed it again, and finally took a deep breath, saying in his usual cold voice, “Those are for the foppish prince out there. You’re pulling a prank, and I don’t appreciate it.”

“I’m serious, come on. They’re for you.”

“No, they’re not. Here, I’ll get out of your way.” Ryuu strode past the orange-haired boy, putting his hand on the doorknob and beginning to open the dressing room door, but not before Wakatoshi took his shoulder and spun him around, briefly pausing to watch his long hair fly out behind him.

“Take the flowers. They’re. For. You.” Wakatoshi shoved them into his arms, causing Ryuu to fall back a little bit from the push.

“…Why are you doing this?”

Wakatoshi hadn’t expected any of this tonight, but he didn’t need to think on his feet; Ryuu was already handling that for him.

“ _He_ put you up to it, didn’t he? I wondered why he ran out before the show tonight. I told him not to say a word!” Ryuu stomped into the dressing room, and Wakatoshi, still utterly confused, followed without thinking.

“That’s not what it is! He hasn’t said anything about… anything! He passed me that bouquet and walked off, telling me to wait around. I thought they were his or something.”

Ryuu slowly turned from where he had rested the flowers on a vanity, facing the boy in the doorway.

“So… you _don’t_ know anything.” He slowly stepped towards Wakatoshi.

“No, I don’t know a damn thing.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anythi—!” He had taken another step towards Ryuu, but suddenly found himself almost face-to-face with the other boy as he came forward as well.

“Close… close the door, please. What I am going to tell you _cannot_ leave this room.”

Wakatoshi raised an eyebrow, but did as Ryuu asked, not sure if he wanted to know where this is going. “You know, the bouquet doesn’t mean we’re on that deep a level yet, right?”

“For the love of all that is great in theatre, shut up.”

Wakatoshi opened his mouth to say something again, but closed it, allowing for Ryuu to pause and collect his thoughts. His palms rested together, resting on his lips as he considered the situation.

“I... confided in Kurou about something a while back. I was trying to discern how I felt about someone, and he informed me that I should perhaps get to know them better. I began to sit with him more, and I wanted him to see how well I could act. I wasn’t sure how he felt about me, but I thought there was a chance if maybe, I invited him to this production, he might learn more about me.

“I can only hope that he has, and that he’s willing to consider the possibility of… entering a relationship with someone.”

Wakatoshi hadn’t expected this _at all._ Sure, there was a chance he might like the actor.

A snowflake’s chance in a campfire, that is. But, the chance remained nonetheless. And despite the minimal odds, it might…

“Look, I don’t know, it’s just…”

Suddenly, he felt hands cupping his face, and Wakatoshi was pulled up into a kiss. It wasn’t forceful, but instead, somewhat delicate. A little off-center; Wakatoshi could taste the stage make-up. And it did not taste good at all.

Realizing the position, Ryuu pulled back slightly. “Apologies. I’m afraid as the villain, I do not have as much practice kissing as the foppish prince does.”

Wakatoshi only replied with going back to the kiss, this time without getting a gross taste of make-up in his mouth. Ryuu’s hands seemed unaware of where to go, but Wakatoshi found his hands moving towards the taller boy’s hair.

When they pulled away, Ryuu was smiling at Wakatoshi, enjoying the feeling of the shorter boy’s fingers curled into his hair. He was about to go in for one more kiss when his phone began buzzing from his bag, and with a groan, went to answer it.

“What do you want, Kurou,” he said, his voice flat once more.

“DID YOU DO IT?” His voice was booming, and Wakatoshi was pretty sure he had just heard it also coming from the stage.

“You’ve only called at the worst possible time,” Ryuu growled, and a few beats of silence passed.

“…Oooh. Ooh. I’m sorry, Ryuu. I’ll—“

He didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence as Ryuu hung up the phone, looking to Wakatoshi. “I apologize.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine.”

The silence came again, but this time with a different air. One of slight awkwardness and confusion, one of unsure emotions, but also of the belief that perhaps…

“Do you think something could work out?” Ryuu pulled his shoulders back, resuming his confident air once more. “I’d like to think it might. Go on a… a date or something with me.”

Wakatoshi had to bite back a laugh, instead giving the other boy a smirk. “If you’re willing to give it a go.”

“I’d like that very much.”

“Then it’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/9NBEp5S !!! We'd love to have you there!


	2. Simple Gestures (Ren/Itsuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: HoldingLines from the NMS Group Chat  
> Pairing: Ren/Itsuki

Itsuki had never gone in the 3rd café before. He didn’t often go out to eat, as servers often ignored him, and objecting to people cutting him in line wasn’t worth the effort. 

But he had overheard so many good things about the café that he finally worked up the courage to try it for himself. Going into the café, he quickly found that there was no good place to sit. Tables were crowded with other students and he often found himself having to dodge moving chairs or people walking in his path. 

Finally, he found himself at a blue sofa, where only one student sat. Or, to be more precise, he was spread out on the couch in a lounging fashion. There was enough space left on the corner of the couch, and Itsuki settled himself down and patiently observed the bustling café, watching the one first year girl run around and get everyone’s orders in a quick and efficient fashion.

However, he suddenly felt the person on the sofa shift, and his head whipped around to face them as he inched away further.

“You can’t sit here.” The boy speech was soft and slurred, as if he had just woken up from a nap.

Itsuki didn’t move. He hoped that maybe, for once, his invisibility would be to his advantage, and the boy would just fall back asleep so he could order a coffee… somehow. He hadn’t worked that out yet.

But the dark-haired boy propped himself up on his arms, looking back at Itsuki with a glare. “What do you want?” 

The look was almost enough to make Itsuki leap out of his chair, but he nervously stuttered out, “C-C-Coffee… I came for…”

The sound of porcelain sliding across the table stopped his words, and he looked down to see that the other boy had moved his own cup over towards him.

“Just don’t move off the sofa or make any more noise for the next hour. I need every bit of sleep I can get.”

Itsuki delicately leaned over and took the white mug into his hands, feeling the warmth of the mug through his fingers. The coffee was delicious, even through there was only half a cup left.

The boy whose name he did not know had been very kind to give him his coffee. People didn’t often notice him like this. After years of being ignored for sports teams, in being called on for class, attendance, and people in the hallway, having someone notice him was a new feeling. Although, he assumed it was only because he had woken the other boy up from his nap. 

Finishing the coffee, he passed the time looking at things on his phone until the hour was up. Slowly, gradually, he began to push off the sofa, trying to not make any sound whatsoever. 

The other boy seemed to remain asleep, so Itsuki let out a sigh of relief and continued out the café door, having it almost slam into him as someone else with orange hair and goggles walked in and didn’t notice him behind the glass.

Ren, however, had not been asleep. He had woken up just a few moments before Itsuki moved, and watched him leave, trying to place who he was in the grand scheme of the school. He had never seen him before. 

His friend, Reiji, was on his way over to the sofa, peering over to see if Ren was awake. 

“Oh, thank goodness! You are awake this time! I was afraid I’d have to wait  _again_  and that would have just been absolutely—“

“Reiji,” Ren said, placing a single hand on his friend’s clipboard that he was waving in front of him. “Did you see that boy who just walked through the door?”

Reiji tilted his head to one side, confused. “What do you mean? There was nobody there.”

Ren was silent for a few beats, then shrugged. “Never mind, then.” He was sure he hadn’t dreamed the boy up – his coffee was actually gone, and his presence, while strange, had to be real. But currently, evidence was pointing to otherwise. 

“Hand me that clipboard, Reiji. What have you got for me today?”

* * *

Itsuki was back at the café again the next day. He wasn’t sure what exactly had drawn him back, whether it was the fact that someone, for once in his life, had noticed his presence, or if it was the coffee.

He settled on the latter, not wanting to get his hopes up in case the other boy didn’t notice him today. Itsuki found the sofa easily this time, and saw the same boy sprawled out, but not yet asleep. He had found out his name was Ren, and that he was 2nd in their year, with an IQ of 180. He didn’t think you could have an IQ that high, but didn’t question it further as the person who had told him glanced away and forgotten him completely. 

“Good afternoon,” he whispered, but Ren didn’t turn to see him until he sat down on the sofa. 

“Oh, you’re here again.” He pulled a single earbud out, face expressionless. “Did you want my coffee?”

“…I was more wondering you could order me one.”

Ren paused a moment, then sat up and tried to locate the café girl, who came over and seemed surprised when he asked for a second one, her eyes darting to his half-finished mug, but happily obliged and went to get a second. She handed it to Ren, who, after she was out of sight, gave it to Itsuki. 

“There you go. You can pay me back later,” he said as Itsuki’s hand went to his pocket. “Just enjoy it for now.” 

Itsuki nodded, sipping at his own first cup of coffee – it was better warm and not half-drunk. As he sat there, Ren puzzled over the mystery of this boy – who he was, and why Reiji didn’t seem to have noticed him at all yesterday. Who was he? He ran down the list of students mentally in his mind, from third-years to first-years… there was a chance this boy was a first year and was sneaking in. But he didn’t recall seeing him anywhere. 

Finally, he asked aloud, “What’s your name?”

The boy was visibly startled, almost choking on his coffee mid-sip. After a couple coughs, he quietly said, “Itsuki.”

Ren nodded. “I’m Ren.”

Itsuki resisted the urge to say he knew, and the silence between them came once again as Ren fell asleep, and Itsuki finished off his coffee, sitting there until it was time to leave.

* * *

“Do either of you know a white-haired boy at our school?”

Reiji, Shun, and Ren had gathered in Ren’s dorm, after he called them there. In response to his question, the two orange-haired boys exchanged glances, before shaking their heads no. 

“We have someone like that?”

Ren sighed. He had asked a few people around campus, too, but nobody seemed to know who the mysterious boy he had seen in the café was – even Reiji, who should’ve noticed him when he was walking through the door earlier, had no recollection of this boy.

“Shun, I’m gonna need you to access the school network and find his files.”

The boy was already on his laptop and pulling up the necessary windows. “That’s E-Z. I wish you would call me for harder things, sometimes.”

Ren gave a sigh, settling in between the two as they watched Shun work his magic of dodging walls usually set up to keep students out, and navigating through back ways to find the class lists.

“What did you say his name was?”

“Itsuki,” Ren said, scanning the lists. He hoped that he was even in the records – if nobody noticed the boy in the first place, was there a chance they would give him his records?

Shun scrolled around a bit, not finding him on any general attendance lists. Ren and Reiji had begun to get bored and started going over new experiments when Shun found him, tucked at the bottom of the very first class 3-C attendance list, as if he was added as an afterthought. 

“3rd year, class 3-C. Is this him?”

They all pushed closer to the screen, looking at the boy on screen. White hair, lavender eyes. His school photo was slightly off center, as if the photographer hadn’t really known where he was standing.

“That’s him,” Ren said, recognizing the boy right away. “That’s what he looks like.”

Reiji squinted. “That’s him? I feel like I may have seen him, but it’s a hazy memory.” Shun shook his head, saying that he had never seen him before. This boy’s very presence was a mystery – Ren even wondered if he was added to 3-C because he had been skipped over and when they did finally notice him, he was shoved into the class and then forgotten completely.

Looking at his small attempt of a smile in the photo and his full name… Ren felt a little attached to him somehow. The fact he could see this boy around the campus meant something.

_Didn’t it?_

The next day, Itsuki was back, and Ren even saw him walk in this time. He waved him over and Itsuki’s face visibly brightened as he hurried over to sit next to him.

“Could you order again for me today?”

Ren nodded once, as he had been waiting for Itsuki to show up before getting the first-year girl’s attention. She came over. “You finally ready to order, Ren? I wasn’t sure how long you were going to wait.”

“I’ll have a coffee,” he said, and then he pointed to Itsuki sitting next to him. “And so will he.”

The café girl suddenly noticed Itsuki as if he had just appeared in front of her, and Ren moved to tap the other boy’s head, as if indicating where he was. “So could you bring two coffees?” then was quick to add, “Please?”

“Of course! I’ll bring them right out!” She walked away, and Itsuki looked down at Ren and trying to form the words “thank you”, but Ren beat him to it as he laid down, his head brushing against Itsuki’s leg.

“It’s no problem, really.”

The conversation quickly died again, and Ren tried to salvage it, wanting to just find out more. “What class are you in?”

“3-C,” Itsuki muttered. 

“Okay, so those records were accurate.” 

“What records?”

Ren quickly pushed that topic aside. “What do you think of your classmates?”

“I can’t really have an opinion of them; nobody really talks to me.” Itsuki gave a small sigh as his shoulders sagged, and Ren instantly felt bad; he hadn’t realized just  _how_  neglected this boy was. Granted, he was sure there were times he hadn’t noticed Itsuki before either – until he sat on his sofa unexpectedly… but now was the time to redeem it. Especially as the first-year girl came over with two coffees and set them down.

“Did your friend leave?”

“I’m right here,” came his voice, soft and muted. But she didn’t seem to notice, saying that she could wait until he came back and would leave both the mugs there. Ren was amazed to see her miss his presence completely. 

As Itsuki took the coffee in his hands, Ren drank half of his and began to sleep again, settling in near Itsuki, dozing to the melody of one of Suzuki’s pop ballads. 

The white-haired boy watched the other fall asleep, noticing the way his arms wrapped around his torso, the way his headphone chord looped, and how his hair curled at the ends and looked so soft. He felt the small urge to touch it, but resisted, sipping down the last of his wonderful-tasting and warm coffee and waiting for the hour to be up.

That became their pattern over the next couple of weeks, and Ren had become used to the other boy’s presence. Even if he just fell asleep next to him, he appreciated the fact that the other boy remained as still as possible and patiently waited until the hour was up to move around too much. This usually helped him sleep, and he was grateful for it.

But today, Ren found himself unable to sleep. His music hadn’t helped, and the white noise of the café was almost annoying.

He had been about to shift completely around when he heard Itsuki sigh, and held still when he began to speak.

“Ren… thank you.”

 _Does he think I’m asleep?_  Ren kept his eyes closed and resisted his body’s urge to stretch out.

“You’ve been so kind to me, Ren, and it’s strange. There are times when Kyouya-sensei forgets to call on me in classes, or when people pass me by, and how I never get picked on a team for sports when we play. I just run around the field, switching teams and confusing players. I used to get a laugh from being invisible, but I got so used to it that… someone seeing me and talking to me, if even a little bit, cheers me up.”

Itsuki bit his lip, moving the slightest bit in his seat so he was closer to Ren.

“…Your hair also looks really fluffy, and I’d like to touch it, but that would probably wake you up.”

 _That’s it._  Ren gave an audible sigh and shifted, pressing his head into Itsuki’s leg. The other boy made a startled noise and nearly dropped his mug, and Ren cracked open a single eye. 

“Itsuki…” Ren tilted his head back slightly to look the other boy in the face. “Would you help me sleep?”

 _Oh gosh. Oh gosh. How much did he hear?_ Itsuki was attempting to keep the grip on his mug, and began to gently set it down, spilling a small bit of coffee on the table in the process.

“What can I do to help you, Ren?”

“Just…” Ren reached back to take his pale hand. “…see if it’s as fluffy as you think.” 

Itsuki could have sworn he saw a blush on Ren’s face, but said nothing of it as he nervously reached down and began to stroke Ren’s hair. Already, he had a found a few knots, trying to casually untangle them, but he found it as soft as he believed it to be. He settled into a content pattern, happy when Ren finally seemed to doze off, his chest rising and falling. He was almost cute. 

Itsuki pulled his hand away and settled in to wait until the café began to close up and the girl began to wipe down tables and wash mugs. After she had pulled her coat on and collected her bags, she came over to Itsuki and Ren with a sigh. 

“I don’t want to wake you up,” she said, quietly, after seeing Ren asleep. Itsuki spoke up in response. “I could try.”

She turned to him suddenly, a little surprised, but then nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind, please.”

“Ren,” Itsuki murmured, leaning over slightly and beginning to stroke his hair again. “The café’s closing.”

Ren moaned and turned over, his back to the café owner. “Do I have to go  _now_?”

“It’s time to walk back to the dorms.” Itsuki began to stand up, and Ren heaved a sigh, sitting up slowly and giving the café girl a nod. “Thank you for letting me sleep.”

“It’s no trouble,” she said with a smile, locking the door after the three of them walked out. Ren and Itsuki went towards the dorms while she walked to the gates, leaving the two in total silence as they walked to their respective rooms. 

“Thank you,” Ren called out, noticing that Itsuki was two doors down. “I had no idea you were so close.”

Itsuki shrugged. “We’ve never walked back together.” 

Ren smiled softly, opening his door. “But, yeah, thanks for helping me sleep. …I’ll call you if I need it again tonight. If not, see you tomorrow afternoon.” 

With that, he walked into his room and closed his door. Itsuki’s mouth opened and closed twice, his face turning five shades darker. 

 _There was no way he had just said that._  But he had, and Itsuki wasn’t about to object to seeing the other boy again.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	3. Back and Forth (Kyouya/Haruka)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: Anonymous User on the NMS Blog  
> Pairing: Kyouya/Haruka  
> Prompt: Playing tennis and traded tennis-based innuendos
> 
> Note: If you have zero points in tennis, it is called "love"!

Haruka-sensei bounced his racket on his shoulder as he watched Kyouya-sensei play tennis with the class 3-B teacher. The principal observed the match, having boldly declared himself an expert on the sport. Haruka was skeptical, but chose to say nothing. Instead he focused his eyes on Kyouya as he dashed back and forth, holding his own in the game. 

Kyouya was looking rather attractive with a determined look on his face – sweat glistened on his brow and down his temples – and he was sporting a dark blue polo which slightly stuck to the contours of his body.

Eventually, Kyouya scored twice in a row, ending the deuce and achieving victory. Haruka clapped and smiled at Kyouya as he walked over with a sigh, choosing the adjacent seat on the mostly empty bench as the gym teacher took to the field. 

“You should be staying hydrated,” Haruka commented, holding out a bottle of water to Kyouya. 

He wordlessly accepted it, gulping down at least half the bottle. 

“I didn’t know you played tennis so well.”

“I don’t play well, I simply had a worse opponent.” Dropping his racket to the ground, Kyouya watched the ball sail back and forth over the net, the 3-B teacher quickly losing to the vastly superior player. “I wonder why the principal even thought we should all play together.”

“He’s probably trying to make us all bond together or something,” Haruka said, attempting to see the positives of the situation. “You know how he’s busy and then the other 3rd year teacher is always out of the country.” 

“I could be using this time to grade assignments rather than being here,” Kyouya complained, stretching out his legs. “…At least you’re here to make it more bearable.”

The doctor was silent for a moment, looking at the man next to him, before saying, “I’m glad that you’re here, too.”

The attention of the two was drawn back towards the court with the blowing of a whistle. Apparently, an entire game had passed while the two were conversing and the principal was signaling for Haruka to go out. 

As the match went on, Kyouya couldn’t help but admire the pink-haired doctor, watching him keep his body loose and mobile, but still being able to swing the racket with force. His form, however, needed a little work, and he lost by a narrow margin to his opponent. As he went up to shake hands, Haruka looked to Kyouya with a smile.

“Should we play a double match?”

“Are you tired of singles?” Kyouya said after a beat, returning the smile and collecting his racket from the ground. 

“Well, I simply think we’d make a great pairing.” Haruka shrugged, collecting the tennis ball from the green and stepping back a few paces while the other teacher asked for a partner. 

“Really?” Kyouya attempted to rack his brain for a good reply, but came up with nothing. 

“Yes, unless if you’d like to continue being single…” 

Deciding upon a course of action, Kyouya instead strode over to the other side of the court. “How about I teach you in some one-on-one?” 

He was initially surprised, but Haruka recovered and nodded, drawing back his racket and settling into position. Throwing the green ball into the air, he knocked it towards Kyouya, who swung it back almost effortlessly.

“That’s a tight grip on the racket, Haruka,” he commented after a few vollies. “But, you’re at least returning my serves. I am going rather fast.” 

“Please, I can tell that you’re holding back for me, since I’m new to this.”

Suddenly, Kyouya hit the ball faster than Haruka could react, and it hit the ground on Haruka’s side, bouncing once and slipping past his racket. 

“15-love,” the principal commented.

“If you had bent your knees more, you would have been ready to receive that,” Kyouya said. 

As Haruka collected the ball, he retorted, saying, “Maybe I’ll just let you score all the points. Then I’ll always be in love.”

“You’ll always just be in love if you don’t improve your technique. We could work on it later.”

“Well if you’re offering—“ Haruka was about to reply when the ball whipped past him again, the score now 30 to zero.

A few minutes later, the game was called with Kyouya as the winner. Both players breathed heavily and stepped up to the net to shake hands. Brown eyes met yellow, staring deeply before they let go.

“That was fun,” Haruka said. “Could we make this a regular get-together for the two of us?”

“If you enjoyed it, I would  _love_  to.” 

Rolling his eyes at Kyouya’s lame tennis joke, the doctor teased, “I might even end up on top next time.”

“For the love of  _God_ ,” one of the teachers called from a bench, bringing the personal match between Haruka and Kyouya to a close. “Get off the court already.” Another mutter pushed through the crowd, saying, “Take it to the teacher’s lounge.”

At that, a couple laughs rippled through the crowd of teachers. Both the men blushed, glancing briefly at each other as they walked off the court, looking forward to going at it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	4. Jealousy Pangs (Jéan/Touru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: Pin on the NMS Group Chat  
> Pairing: Jéan/Touru

“Halt!”

Touru stepped back from his opponent, prying his mask off. He hadn’t been training for nothing, it seemed. The blond boy across the mat from him had put up a harsh fight, but in the end, it was clear who the victor was. Touru had won fair and square. 

Jéan took his mask off, and with an elegant brush of his hand, tossed his hair back. Touru always  _hated_ how the other boy could still look stunning after taking off his mask. Touru often imagined that when he took off his own mask, he looked like a sweaty mess. 

However, formality still required one last step. They tucked their masks under an elbow and shook hands. 

“I enjoy sparring with you, Jéan,” he said, only telling a half-lie. Jéan smiled in reply. “And I, you. You’re an excellent fencer.”

Touru tore his hand away and briskly stepped off the mat before Jéan could see the blush that was already threatening to appear. “Thank you.” 

He walked back towards the team, who were all excitedly cheering at the outcome of the match. Every single one of them looked up to Touru as an expert fencer and all believed that he had a shot at getting into some of the bigger competitions. He sighed wistfully at the very idea, and was accepting congratulations from his teammates when he noticed that Jéan had not followed.

Turning to look for his distinctive blond hair, he saw it. But it was also accompanied by a length of dark brown hair, one that was happily smiling while Jéan appeared to…  _laughing._

Touru’s mood, which had been on the steady increase, suddenly plummeted. Jéan and Kohai-chan had become fast friends over the past couple of weeks. He wasn’t sure when that had happened, exactly. All he remembered of Jéan was that he flirted with almost every girl who tried to come near, and never seemed shameful in the slightest for it. But almost overnight, he was abstaining from all that, beginning to mellow out and hang around Kohai-chan more. She smiled and laughed with him, and their conversations were often merry. 

Touru wondered why his stomach felt like it was churning, and his heart constricted. Why was he feeling this way, watching those two interact? Could it be that—

 _Thwack!_  He was suddenly slammed on the back by the coach, who was heartily giving congratulations and saying something about this being the cinch he needed for the tournament.

Putting on his best smile, he went back to talking to the team, simply soaking up the praise, trying to push Kohai-chan and Jéan from his mind. 

* * *

“That match was so awesome, Touru-kaichou!” 

“Thank you,” he said, politely. He had become numb to the compliments over the past couple of days. It wasn’t annoying when Kohai-chan talked about it, however. She placed the tea in the one space of the table not occupied by his textbooks and looked over his shoulder. “This all looks really hard. Is this what I have to expect in 3-A?”

“Kyouya-sensei shows no mercy in his math class for us,” Touru groaned, but he silently promised himself that he would make it through this work, lest he disappoint his idol. 

She continued to look over his shoulder while he did work, silently observing how he did the problems until she heard the bell over the door. 

“Hello there, darling.” 

Touru’s grip on his mechanical pencil became tighter when he heard the voice. His breath caught in his throat, and he resisted the urge to turn and face the obvious source of the voice.

“Jéan!” 

 _They aren’t even on honorifics anymore?!_  Touru briefly thought before the conversation continued. “Sorry, Touru-kaichou, just let me know if you need anything else.” Her attention turned away before he could choke out a reply, and he could only listen as she asked Jéan about what he wanted, saying “the usual”.

The  _usual._  He felt something heave in his chest again, and he watched out the corner of his eye asJéan and Kohai-chan went to the counter and continued a conversation. Ignoring his homework completely, Touru watched the pair silently, trying to discern why he was feeling the way he was. 

Could it be because Jéan was monopolizing Kohai-chan’s time? Had he wanted to spend more time with her? That answer didn’t feel right at all. Was it Jéan then? Was he the factor he was getting offended at? Perhaps the fact that Jéan was the one soaking up all the attentions? 

His mind told him that wasn’t the logical answer, but his heart said otherwise. 

Touru looked to Jéan again, trying to figure out the answer, attempting to put the whole mess together…

When it struck him. His eyes grew wide, remembering nearly every instance he had been with Jéan. 

They were almost always paired on the fencing team, and he knew that he never quite looked forward to the matches, but at the same time, felt elated when they occurred. Every time he complimented his work ethic or form, he felt the urge to quip back with a line or not even grace him with a response. 

Kohai-chan did not make his heart speed up or his words stick. It was not her touch that caused his heart to race or her kindness that warmed his heart.

He gathered his books and papers in rapid fashion, practically fleeing the café without turning back to see who was staring. He couldn’t be around him anymore; not after coming to that realization.

* * *

Touru was at the school a few days later, and the feeling had not subsided in his chest. Every time he happened to see Jéan in the hallway, he would take a detour, fall into a classroom, or make no eye contact. Walls went up and he never gave him a passing thought until he left his presence and was safe. 

After hours at the school were peaceful. Fewer students were around, if that. The corridors were empty, and he was able to work in peace. 

Except peace never lasted very long in his life.

“Touru-sensei! Touru-sensei!” 

He recognized the call of one of the second years and turned to face them, plastering a smile on his face. “Shigeru-kun, how many times have I told you to not call me that?”

The boy, out of breath, merely smiled and stood up straight. “Jéan-senpai was looking for you. He wanted to know if you wanted help with fencing practice for the tournament. He says that you seem to have been a little off at practice and doesn’t want to slack.”

 _That rude pompous—!_ Touru’s thoughts caught themselves before they could go any further. Clearing his throat, he replied. “I’ll go. Just inform Jéan I’ll be around.”

“Of course, Touru-sensei!” Before Touru could remind him of the mistake, Shigeru was off, dashing back down the corridor. 

Finishing his duties at a sluggish pace, Touru made his way to the sports complex, finding his gear and putting it on, nervously looking around the locker room the entire time. He walked into the room, finding the mat already set up and Jéan resting in a chair, glancing up when Touru walked in.

“It look you long enough, I suppose.” With a shrug of his shoulders, he stood up. “I was hoping nothing had happened to you.  _Mais,_  you’re here now.” 

“Épée or Sabre today, Jéan?” 

“You’re competing Épée, are you not?”

Touru didn’t respond, picking up the proper weapon and moving to the mat, pulling the mask over his head so he wouldn’t have to look Jéan directly in the face. He followed suit, standing on the other side and readying himself. The two exchanged a swift salute.

“Do you agree to play fair?” 

“Do you take me for some kind of  _chemineau_ , Touru?” 

“… En garde. Prêt.”

The two fencers readied themselves, and a few beats of silence passed. Then Jéan lunged out at Touru, and he instantly parried, going on the defensive. Jéan simply kept attempting to poke holes in his fighting, and Touru did all that he felt he could to simply stop the barrage of attacks. 

In a few minutes, the outcome was slated in Jéan’s favor. There had been simply too many points scored on his end for it to happen.

In an attempt to move back once more, Touru shifted his weight awkwardly, and fell. He landed on the mat, and Jéan instantly stopped, waiting for the other boy to stand. 

Instead, the mask was off, and Touru was trying to not break down. He took deep breaths, like he had so often practiced. They always helped, but this time, another force was at work, for better or worse.

Jéan was kneeling down before him, mask off as his concerned eyes looked Touru up and down. “What’s the matter?”

“N-N-Nothing you would care about,” he sneered back. “Just leave me alone. I’m s-sure you would prefer to be with K-Kohai-chan right now.”

Jéan tilted his head a bit, his face drooping a bit further in sorrow. “What do you mean, Touru?”

“You know what I m-mean!” He was losing his grip on language, something slipping back in. “Le-leave me alone.” The comment trailed off into the echoing silence of the hall. Jéan’s sigh filled it soon after. Sitting cross-legged before Touru, he waited, patiently, before asking, much more sincerely, “What’s wrong?”

“…T-There’s—“ A deep breath came again. He attempted to regain his grip. “There’s something I have to ask. I have to know what’s going on with you and Kohai-chan. There is s-so much I don’t understand about why it hurt, and that something about the way the two of you can laugh so easily when I can hardly find the c… courage within myself to muster a conversation with you. It’s so hard to get to that level of happiness with you and I would like to be there, to  _always_ be there, and learn more about you without having to feel like there is something between us. There is something to love about you, Jéan, and I think I’ve fallen for it.”

The blond boy stared in silence, eyes wide. After Touru stopped, he shook his head. “I’m… I’m wondering if what you said was what I think you were implying, but I might need you to clarify.”

“For crying out loud, Jéan,” he replied, finally getting control over his senses back. “Can’t you put two and two together?”

He stared, and then broke out laughing. “It  _was_!  _Mon dieu,_ Touru.” He stood up, then offered his hands. “You have nothing to worry about. There is nothing between Kohai-chan and me.”

He sniffed, reaching up to take Jéan’s hands. “Then—“

“I don’t have feelings for her.” He pulled up the president, not letting go of his hands. “If what you said was genuine… then…” 

Touru suddenly watched as the taller boy leaned down the slightest bit, surprising Touru with a gentle kiss, much to his offense. He let it go on a moment longer, before prying away. He stared back, trying to sort out the millions of thoughts that were running through is mind.

Jéan’s voice broke through his thoughts, saying,“I love you too.”

“… After that, I didn’t think you needed to state the obvious,” Touru snapped back in an instant.

Jéan laughed again, causing Touru’s blush to grow. “This is no laughing matter!” 

“You’re right, it’s not,” Jéan finally agreed as his laughter subsided. “Laughter comes with dinner. And if I recall, you’re at this place until all hours of the night working. Why don’t you just go out with me tonight and get something?”

Touru blinked, but picked up his glasses, sliding them onto his face before recovering his mask and weapon. 

“If you’ll let me change out of my uniform first, please. Then  _maybe_ I’ll take you up on your suggestion. But only because you offered!” He began to walk back to the locker room, but paused when Jéan called out to him.

“I could help you out of it—“

“Not on your life!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	5. A Coin For Your Love (Tokiya/Kei)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: highwind91 on the NMS Discord Chat  
> Pairing: Tokiya/Kei

Tokiya glanced around the stage as he held the script out before him. Kurou had called everyone to a stage directional rehearsal that day. Actors took their places in the wings, and Tokiya stood a bit to the left, looking out over the chairs of the auditorium as if they were a vast forest.

On stage, there were a couple solitary bushes. One looked shoddily thrown together, as if was made from leftover scraps from the art classroom upstairs. The other could only be described as true to life – it even seemed to slightly shake, like a gentle wind was actually blowing. Tokiya held back a smile at the difference in the work and spoke his lines.

“What a forest, but I cannot stop to admire the scenery.” He placed a hand to his forehead, acting out the part of a woefully lost traveler. “There might be something lurking in the bushes, or something in the trees! And I cannot let them see I am lost!”

There was a silence on stage, and Tokiya looked to the next line on his script.

 _The bush._ That had been Kurou’s “unique twist” for the play. He wanted the role of a moving, talking bush to play the part of a sidekick on a temporary part of the hero’s quest. And they were speaking next.

A first year was most likely playing the part, too nervous to come out and act. Tokiya glanced to the wings, where he saw a couple new members standing quietly. He beckoned to them, but they shook their heads. As he looked for other people who might be playing the bush, he began to notice that nobody was making eye contact with him. They were all staring in another direction, looking just behind him—

“Are you lost?”

Tokiya _yelped._ The voice had been directly next to his ear, muffled and sudden. He jumped back, spinning around. His reading glasses flew off his face, landing somewhere a few feet away.

The source of the voice began to laugh, along with a few other members of the Drama Club. Tokiya gave the source an even, cool look – it was Kei. He knew him from Class 3-B. His deal was that he was from a family of prominent ninjas, and the third and youngest of the next generation. He had a penchant for scaring people, but never on earth did he think he’d see him _acting…_

“Cut, cut!” Kurou said as the giggles didn’t decrease in volume. He sighed and stood from the front row chair to walk up to Tokiya and Kei, who were staring at each other with mild surprise and confusion. “Tokiya, Kei, you two know each other. We’re all in the same class, right?”

“Why’s he here?” Tokiya said recovering his glasses from a first year who handed them to him before moving back to the director and the ninja. Kurou smiled.

“Well, the idea came from him! For a bush sidekick! I got a kick out of it when I saw him outside the café, surprising people and passing out advertisements… and then I thought, well, who better to be the bush sidekick than the inspiration himself!”

Tokiya looked to Kei, who nodded in acknowledgement.

“Hello, then, Kei,” Tokiya said, shaking his hand. “Welcome to the Drama Club. I’ll be happy to work with you.”

“And I, you.”

“Please don’t scare me anymore.” Tokiya swore that after he uttered those words, he saw Kei’s face shift under the mask, clearly grinning in response.

“No promises, my friend.”

* * *

Despite his good-natured humor, Kei kept his promise of not scaring Tokiya. Instead, Tokiya saw his presence at every single rehearsal, even those he was not obligated to attend. He would check in with Kurou, and find a “comfortable” spot, as he called them. Sometimes, it was in the wings. Other times, it was the backs of chairs, up in the lighting systems, or even still as a bush in the back halls, scaring unsuspecting other members.

In class, he was more or less the same, except he talked to Tokiya a bit more, asking him about rehearsal times and going over a couple lines with him. He didn’t mind the other boy at all, getting to know a bit more about how he was behind the “mysterious” ninja persona and rumors that often went around about him. He didn’t mind getting to know him better, hearing more of his voice and having someone else to talk to.

One day, Kei came up behind him, almost forgetting to make his presence known. Tokiya had almost become good at knowing when he was there, but this time, he wasn't surprised as the boy muttered something about having Tokiya watch him. He said that Hideki-senpai was teaching class today, and he planned on giving him a scare.

Tokiya wasn't sure where he got his information from, but Kei vanished under the teacher's desk before the door opened, Hideki-senpai walking into the classroom. None of them had been informed that Viktor was leaving again, and it showed in the boy’s tousled hair and crazed look. He glanced behind the door, under the desks, and then under his own teacher’s desk, before going to the front of the room with a sigh. “Good morning everyone, as you know, Viktor-sensei is out again, and he hasn’t left a single material—“

A loud noise occurred as Kei popped out from under the desk, causing Hideki to yell and a few other students to jump. Tokiya’s face cracked into a smile, before breaking out into a laugh as Kei wiggled his eyebrows at the classroom, his eyes meeting Tokiya’s across the room. He beamed at the other boy, but he didn’t acknowledge his smile—

 _Oh. That’s right. He can’t see it._ Kei’s humorous mood quickly took a nosedive then, and he slipped back to his seat as Hideki sighed, muttering something half-hearted about writing Kei up.  

He debated sliding the mask down to smile, but then remembered he couldn’t – and besides, Tokiya was already looking away.

There was no point.

* * *

Tokiya had been having a problem the past week. Most people wouldn’t call it a problem, but the fact it was happening at _all_ was in itself, a problem. 

One time, after exiting the café and walking back to his dorm, he had discovered a small bag in his pocket. It was filled with coins, and a couple small clear gemstones. He wasn’t sure where it had come from, but it directly totaled to the amount he had paid for in the café that morning for his meal.

It was obvious who had done it. But when he asked Kei about it at rehearsal, the boy completely denied it. So he tried to find another answer, but after finding the bag twice more, he knew that there was no other explanation. To the air around him outside the café, he said, “Please, stop leaving these in my pocket. The gesture is nice, but I don’t _understand._ ”

However, they didn’t stop. Tokiya endured finding the bags in his pocket twice more before giving up, moving to search through all the bushes outside before catching the one bush by the wall that _happened_ to sneeze, pulling the other boy out and dusting the dirt off while he spoke.

“I’m not quite sure why you insist on leaving these bags in my pocket. I’d just like a basic explanation, that’s all I’m asking for.”

Kei sighed, attempting to step a bit away from Tokiya, but the other boy held fast onto his shirt. “You’re not going to escape from me so easily, Kei.”

Kei mentally cursed himself before bowing to Tokiya, shoulders dropping just a bit. “I must confess that I’m nervous to ask you if you would like to go to the café together.”

Tokiya found himself speechless. He had prepared himself for any sort of answer, he thought – from the most obvious to the absolutely crazy – but… this was one that he had not anticipated. He attempted to regain his thoughts as Kei began to slowly slide out of his grip, bit by bit.

“I’ll…”

Kei stopped when Tokiya finally spoke again, attention caught by the sound of his voice.

“I’ll… need you to elaborate for me, Kei. What?”

Tokiya swore he saw the smallest hint of a blush on Kei’s ears as he spoke, choosing his words carefully.

“I’m simply a little tense whenever I think about asking you to the café, or anywhere, for that matter. So instead, I’ve been indirectly paying for your meals.”

Tokiya looked at the bag in his hand, then back to Kei, still no closer to a consistent answer than before. If anything, he was even _more_ confused.

“Can you let go of me now, please?”

Tokiya obliged, and watched the other boy bow rapidly in return, before sprinting off. Tokiya merely leaned against the wall in mild confusion, staring at the small makeshift bag. He pulled at the fabric, loosening the drawstrings and looking inside, only to find the usual coins and a small sheet of folded paper. His fingers delicately took it out and unfolded it, revealing a tidy script.

“ _Thank you for being such a good actor to work with._ ”

Tokiya sighed. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

“Come on.” Tokiya grabbed Kei from where he sat in the wings after rehearsal, pulling him along. Kei instantly began protesting, trying to get out of the situation, but Tokiya did not relent, instead telling him that he was taking the café matter into his own hands. Kei groaned, facepalming with defeat. Tokiya eventually released his arm, letting the other boy walk alongside him to the café, despite the fact he desperately seemed like he wanted to ditch.

 _This is his chance,_ Tokiya thought to himself. _He has to take it._ And he did – Kei walked in with him and nervously sat down at a table, body rigid and straight while the café girl came over excitedly, asking Tokiya how rehearsal had gone and waving to Kei, thanking him for finally coming into the café. He gave her a single nod of acknowledgement, before looking back to Tokiya, who had put on his glasses to read the menu.

Kei loved those glasses. They were a brilliant red and looked fetching on Tokiya, who… well, he always looked nice. Kei had to confess that.

“You’ll need to take off your mask to eat,” Tokiya commented, and Kei’s body, which had been steadily relaxing as he adjusted to the environment, went completely rigid again. A hand went back to the knot that held it in place, as if it would accidentally slip loose at any moment.

“You’re not that afraid, are you?” Tokiya briefly stopped the conversation as he ordered for them both, Kei debating on whether or not he should take it off. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, neither sure of what to say until she brought over coffee and treats, placing them down with a smile and a small bow before moving on to the next table.

“Eat up,” Tokiya said, nodding towards the plate as he took his coffee mug and began to drink. “They aren’t going to do it themselves.”

Kei’s hands began to tremble, but he reached back and slowly undid the mask, taking it off gradually and folding it.

Tokiya could only stare. He hadn’t realized how much of his face was covered by the scarf. It was like restoring the other half of a painting, bringing the beauty out from underneath the layer that hid it from the world.

And the beauty revealed to him was a gentle face, one that was pink at the cheeks and avoiding his stare.

“There. Is this… what you wanted?”

Tokiya pulled himself away from staring at the face, from trying to memorize it as Kei spoke. “Y-yes, that’s… what I expected, I suppose. No, it’s more, it’s—“

Kei shook his head, moving to put it back on, but stopped himself. “I’m sorry, there’s— this is… well…” He bowed his head, muttering something that the other boy couldn’t catch amongst the hubbub of the café.

“What was that?”

Kei didn’t seem to catch his voice, however, as he continued, voice steadily increasing in volume. “There’s just been a lot on my mind lately, about you, and about the play… and your acting… I mean, I go to all the rehearsals, I wouldn’t be doing much else otherwise. But as a bush on stage, I haven’t got much to do other than… than watch. And I think after seeing you on stage, off stage, between breaks in rehearsal, I fell for some… part of you.”

Kei sighed, burying his face into his hands. “I’m sorry, after watching you for so long, I’m afraid that I’ve fallen for you, Tokiya. I want to know more about you, and get to know you.”

Tokiya swallowed nervously, fully understanding in that moment why Kei was so nervous to ask him out, why he paid for his meals, obliged to going with him, and how he even wanted to get to know him in the first place. It all clicked, and Kei sighed.

“I understand if you don’t feel the same way at all, and if I have done you a disservice—“

“Now, now, let me finish my thought.” Tokiya smiled and his hand reached across the table to wrap around Kei’s wrist, slowly sliding a hand out to hold in his own. “I’m not saying you’ve done me a single disservice.” He inclined his head, smile growing as he stared up at the other boy. “In fact, I’d rather say you’re cute. Almost precious, having hidden that blush from me for so long.”

His comments only caused Kei’s face to grow darker, feeling his ears and the back of his neck even heat up now. Tokiya let out a slight laugh, and Kei sighed.

“I didn’t want you to see it. I was afraid you’d be so offended.”

“Kei, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of you. Just… just stop paying indirectly for my meals, and take me on an actual date.”

The boy looked back to Tokiya, trying to discern if he was lying or not. His expression seemed genuine, and the touch of his hand, gentle and accepting.

“An actual date.” He gripped the hand that held his tighter. “…I’d like that. I think I’d like that very much.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	6. Summertime Blues (NB Soujiro/Hajime)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Sneps on the NMS Discord Chat  
> Pairing: NB Soujiro/Hajime in Summertime

Every year, Hajime and Soujiro’s families went to their beach homes together. They had friendly relations that were rumored to go back further than they could trace, and somehow, this included buying not only complexes that were next to each other, but also beach homes.

And every year, Hajime had never seen Soujiro swim. If they did, they did so in a t-shirt and beach shorts, and it was then only because their twin cousins had pulled them into the water and decided it was fun.

That year was rough. Soujiro ran home before Hajime could see the aftermath of the situation, and Hajime hadn’t seen them for the rest of summer.

After that, they were in the same high school, and began to get to know each other better than ever before, despite the different classes and professions. And in their third year, after meeting at the café often enough and having a few outside forces help them, they were together in a relationship.

Hajime loved Soujiro more than anything. He loved their hair, their eyes, the way they delicately held a calligraphy brush, their slightly formal and rehearsed tone that they had in their voice due to speaking with professional artists since they were ten… each and every little thing that made up “Soujiro” was perfect and contributed to their charm.

However, they had an agreement at Soujiro’s request. He didn’t want to go too fast, and wished that they please take it slow and perhaps not touch right away. It would make them uncomfortable, and they would prefer to wait.

Hajime agreed instantly. He would do anything for Soujiro, and accept them no matter what. From the moment when they agreed to help paint his banners, or when his family requested Hajime use different pronouns with Soujiro, ones that he had used in conversation with him all his life…  it was just second-nature to be kind and accepting, to smile brightly and go with the flow.

Their relationship continued thusly. Their third year went on to the end, through graduation and goodbyes.

And before college, they all went to their summer homes again.

Hajime was determined to see Soujiro swim this time. He was determined to get them in the water and enjoy the time out there with him. So he met him outside their house before the morning, Hinata and Sousuke running on ahead.

“Are you coming out today?” Hajime glanced up and down at Soujiro, seeing that same old t-shirt-too-big-for-them look and beach shorts with sandals.

“I was thinking about maybe staying inside, today. Just to, um… you know. I don’t want to.”

“Is this because I asked you about swimming last night at dinner?”

“No!” Soujiro recoiled, and Hajime instantly knew that was the reason – Soujiro always closed up physically in response to uncomfortable things, due to their focus on keeping a steady voice. It was admirable, but telling.

 “What’s got you so nervous, Soujiro?” Hajime still couldn’t understand what made them so incredibly tense when it came to the subject of swimming.  
“…I can’t swim,” they confessed, flatly. Another lie, as Soujiro still crossed their arms tighter.

“Well, you’ve never really bothered to learn, if we’re gonna be fair here!”  
“I never had a desire to,” Soujiro replied, turning angrily to Hajime. “Go with Hinata and Sousuke, I’m sure you still have the strength to throw them into the water like back then.”

“That’s not the problem here! I want to swim with _you!_ ”

“I don’t want to with you, so I don’t see why I should go along with what you want to do.”

“Is this part of the intimacy rule, as well? And with your pronouns?”

Soujiro opened their mouth to respond, but paused, biting their lip and looking away from Hajime.

“We don’t have to talk about this now, you know.” Hajime gave a sigh and shifted on his feet, looking towards the water. “You just stay in today, okay?”

“No, wait, come in with me. I… I should tell you.”

Hajime followed Soujiro inside, greeting their parents, aunts, and uncles who were eating breakfast, before moving towards the courtyard and falling into a slow step beside Soujiro.

“This season’s always made me nervous, you know.” Soujiro smiled sadly, crossing their hands before themselves as they walked. “I never liked summer. It’s harder to wear many layers if you have to go out in public, especially to the beach.”

“Is that why you always say winter’s your favorite season?”

“Of course. The snow, the time for art gallery exhibitions over winter break, family celebrations… and the cold.”

“Summer’s the time of festivals and excitement! It’s a time for joy and warm weather!”

“It’s not for everyone, of course. But I know that you enjoy it.” They stopped at the steps down into the courtyard, Soujiro sitting and crossing their legs at the ankles, while Hajime plopped down next to them. “So I’ll enjoy this vacation with you in our own ways.”

The silence settled over them as a hot breeze blew through the courtyard, causing trees to rustle quietly. Hajime was unsure of what to say next, not wanting to pressure Soujiro into continuing with their conversation if it made them uncomfortable. Sitting in silence, they both waited, just trying to gather their thoughts, until Soujiro began to speak again. His voice was softer, less refined.

“Hajime, I’m… I’m not… well, that’s wrong, let me start over.”

“Take your time,” he murmured. He would wait for them for forever, if that was what it took.

“I _am_ nonbinary, like we’ve discussed, but because of my… I suppose, sex, I never like going out in the summer time with tighter or airy clothes. I prefer to stay at home, in air conditioning, with my ink and my work… with family and friends who understand. That’s why I never wanted the touching and for us to go too fast… I just don’t know how you will react to my body, or me… who I am, you know?  I am just so _afraid_ of what you will think of me now, of what I have been saying this whole time, of what you will do now because of this, that you might leave me…!” Soujiro felt like crying, gripping their hands into fists and digging their nails into the flesh of their palms.

 “You know that doesn’t matter to me!” Hajime hugged Soujiro suddenly, burying a head into their shoulder. He felt his significant other tense, and Hajime could only respond with rubbing a hand up and down their back in an attempt to relax their muscles.

Slowly, Soujiro’s hands moved under his arms, wrapping as best they could around Hajime’s body. With a laugh, they said, “You are a lot harder to hug than I thought.”

“I’m still in awe that we’ve kissed before we hugged,” he confessed with a laugh. “Speaking of kisses…” He kissed their cheek and rocked slightly back and forth in the hug. “There. Now, you know I don’t care about that, right? Not in a ‘it’s not valid’ way, but a way that it shouldn’t dictate a thing about who you are and define who you are. I still accept you, I think that you’re wonderful, that your voice is something I could listen to all day, and that I’d love to learn how to braid just so I could do your hair for you every morning. I understand better now what you’ve been going through, and I just want you to be comfortable and happy.”

Soujiro appreciated the effort that Hajime was putting into keeping his voice low and quiet, tightening their grip slightly in response. “I know. …I love you so much, Hajime. You are just as wonderful, if not more so.”

“You’re hard to beat!” he said, causing Soujiro to chuckle.

“If you say so. Now, let’s go. Hinata and Sousuke are probably already almost done in the water.”

“Then at least we’ll get the beach to ourselves! I can show off my swimming skills!”

“You mean your muscles.”

“Those too!”

Soujiro took Hajime’s hand as they walked out together, letting him lead the way. They would follow and walk by him forever. They squeezed Hajime’s hand, leaning a head on his shoulder slightly.

Forever.

That was what love meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	7. Morning Routines (Engaged Kyouya/Haruka)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Requested By: Pin on the NMS Blog & MyrnaMaeve_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Pairing: Domestic Kyouya/Haruka_

Haruka always woke up at precisely 7AM every morning. He was in bed by 10PM the night before to get his full eight hours, if not earlier.

Kyouya, on the other hand, loathed the idea of waking up in the morning. More often than not, he went to bed after Haruka, choosing to stay up and grade papers. And even on the days he went to bed early, the result was still the same.

He was horrible at getting out of bed in the morning.

It was just a fact. He was willing to wake up at the very least, but loathed the very idea of moving out from under the covers, so he simply stayed where he was. And with “where” being the bed, the usual side effect was falling back asleep.

So Haruka took it upon himself every morning to wake him up.

“Kyouya…” His voice trailed off as he fumbled for his glasses, sliding them onto his face as he sat up. “It’s time to get up.”

“It’s Friday. They won’t mind if I’m late.” His voice was slurred, and the covers shifted as he turned on his side away from Haruka.

“Yes, they will, dear.” Haruka moved off the bed, pushing the covers down far enough so that they slid off of the other man.

“That’s just being unfair,” he muttered. Haruka gave a soft laugh and padded over to his side of the bed, bending to kiss his cheek.

“Just wake up, will you?”

“I am up.” A hand moved to pat Haruka’s cheek, but missed entirely, instead lazily falling back onto the bed.

“Mhm. Whatever you say, dear. Now please get out of bed…” Haruka shook Kyouya gently and managed to finally have him sit up. Kyouya rubbed his eyes and blinked harshly, trying to decide if he should just fall asleep again in his current position. However, that plan was quickly foiled as Haruka moved to poke his side, causing him to recoil in fear towards the other side of the bed.

“Please.” Haruka then moved to the kitchen, Kyouya glaring at him the entire way out. With a groan, he heaved himself out of the bed, pausing for a few moments to regain his sense of balance. By the time he had made it to the kitchen after laying out his clothes for the morning, Haruka was at the table eating a cream cheese bagel, newspaper unfolded as he read the front page.

“Glad to see you out of the bedroom,” he teased, grinning at his fiancé as they returned his comment with a fake laugh while reaching into the cabinet for his own breakfast.

“No thanks to you, threatening to tickle me awake. We need to just get our own coffee maker, or something. I’d feel better.” Kyouya sighed as he dug around in the white box for the last granola bar, looking inside the box before flattening and adding it to the recycling bin.

“You know you would still drink two cups of coffee then, one from here and one from the café. It wouldn’t save us a thing.” Haruka turned a page of the paper as Kyouya sat down across from him, tearing open the foil and taking a bite. The time was silent as Haruka finished the other half of his breakfast, moving to get dressed while Kyouya moved to the bathroom, digging around in the cabinet for shaving cream and…

“Haruka!” Kyouya called. “Where’s my razor?”

“It’s exactly where you left it,” he replied, a small smile forming on his face as he opened the closet to pick out a shirt and sweater vest.

“If it was exactly where I left it don’t you think—“ His voice trailed off.

“Find it?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Haruka moved on to finding pants and socks next, moving slowly to allow Kyouya time to get through his part of the routine. Eyes moving to the clock on his bedside table, he knew they still had plenty of time – there were no school events or meetings to be early for today.

When he heard the cabinet open again and the shaving cream being placed back onto the shelf, he slid into the bathroom, nudging Kyouya over a bit, ignoring the side-eye that it came with as he reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste. This action was always an understandably silent time, save for when one of them let the water run on scalding hot for too long – thus causing whoever rinsed their brush next to have their brush a little _too_ warm for their tastes – or when they accidentally bumped heads leaning down at the same time. Haruka always thought this Kyouya’s fault since he was tired every morning, but apologized nonetheless.

The slight laughter aside, Haruka moved to find Kyouya’s work bag, sighing at the state of his messy desk. He said he had a system, and Haruka knew it to be true… the system was just simply one that only made sense in his mind, and he had no reason to question it. Grabbing it and his own bag, Haruka went to wait by the door while Kyouya finished getting dressed, growling as he messed up the knot a second time.

“Forego the tie.”

“Just give me a minute, I’ll be right there. You can even go get in the car, if you’d like.”

“You will forget something without me, I know it,” Haruka replied.

“No, I won’t.” Kyouya finally got the tie on, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes again before putting on his suit jacket and walking to the front door. Haruka held out his winter coat towards him as Kyouya scooped up the keys from the dish.

“Are you sure you’re up for driving?” Haruka zipped up his own coat and dug around for his earmuffs in the box next to the door.

“Haruka, while I might be incapable of waking up, I can assure you I can at least drive us both to work before I’ve had my coffee.”

“I swear, it’s not work that gets you to school, it’s the idea that you will be getting coffee.”

“You’d be wrong,” was the halfhearted reply, but Haruka stopped Kyouya before he went out the door, holding out Kyouya’s gloves and scarf to him.

“…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	8. Kitchen Lessons (Kyouya/Touru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt: PostGraduation Touru and Kyouya_   
>  _Requested by: Milk_

“Like this, Touru.” Kyouya held out his hands to demonstrate the act of slicing the onion, gently taking the knife from him to do so. “You can’t go quietly, you have to be firm in your actions. And _thinly sliced_.”

Touru sighed, shoulders dropping as he stepped back yet again to let Kyouya work with the food, showing him how to cut without fear of going through fingers or shaky hands. His movements were practiced and precise, showing the years of work and age that he had on Touru. And he always hated the idea of it, but never said a word – that was just how it was between the two of them.

“Add them to the bowl, we’ll measure out about half.”

“Sen…” His voice trailed off as Kyouya turned to glance at him again, for a moment. “…C-Can’t you just make the food today, again? I’m useless in the kitchen.”

“That’s not true, Touru,” Kyouya said, finishing his work placing the remaining, unchopped half of the onion into a zippy bag, before handing it to Touru to put in the fridge for lunches that week. “You just need to work at the craft. Here. We’ll practice tomatos next.”

After Kyouya pushed the onion slices off the cutting board into the waiting bowl of hearts of palm, Touru stepped back up to the counter, taking up the heavy chef’s knife in his hand and starting at the tomato before him. It looked small and easy enough to cut. He took a deep breath, and raised his knife, slicing right down the middle first thing.

And heard Kyouya tsk behind his back. Slamming the knife down and turning, he aimed his angry stare upon the older man, before realizing that he was overreacting. With a deep breath, he regained his composure before speaking.

“I graduated as valedictorian from Ikemen, and got into my top school on a scholarship. I currently stand to be going for elections my sophomore year with a 4.0 my first year. And h-here I am… unable to cut a tomato.” Touru hung his head and Kyouya could only sigh, giving a laugh soon after.

“Touru, it’s fine. Do you think I could cook my first time either?”

“W-Well, I suppose not… K-Kyouya. But we’re just cutting for a salad, this isn’t even cooking.”

“Either way. Watch me closely.” Kyouya turned and leaned against the counter, motioning for Touru to step back and observe. He picked up another tomato, moving it around in his hand before taking the knife up in his left to begin slicing.

“First, you’re going to want to cut the top off.” He sliced through the top of the tomato, then moved to cut it in half straight down the middle. “Now, you know what dicing is in theory. What’s next?”

“I’d… I’d flip it over so it lays flat, then cut horizontally.” Touru reached out and took the tomato, becoming slightly flustered as his fingers touched Kyouya’s to get to the food.

“All right.” Kyouya did as he instructed. “Then, vertically, going through again.”

Touru watched as the tomato rapidly turned into small, diced pieces, elegantly being scraped into the bowl to join the onion and hearts of palm already in there.

“You cut the second half.” Kyouya placed the knife back down and moved aside, allowing Touru access to the counter. Touru walked up, more confident about this actions. _Gently remove the top, where the stem had been, then cut it in half – the proper order,_ he repeated mentally, working to memorize it.  _Then_ came the dicing – Touru was hesitant as the space between his fingers and the knife grew smaller, but he made it through, knowing that his cuts were not as even as Kyouya’s – but they would do well enough. Looking over his shoulder, Kyouya smiled.

“Good work, Touru.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the younger man’s temple, just over his glasses. “You did a wonderful job.”

Touru blushed furiously, leaning his head away and moving to slide the remainder of the tomato in with the knife. “T-thank you.”

“Now, here, I’ll handle the last part. This is one that you will _not_ be practicing until you’ve learned to properly manage the knife.” Kyouya took up the avocado, the last ingredient for the salad. “Watch closely.”

Touru’s eyes fell to see Kyouya’s hands work expertly at the avocado, laying it horizontally on the counter and pressing the sharp blade into the side, spinning it around with one hand as the other kept cutting through the skin, easily making it to the middle. The knife clattered and Kyouya took it in both his hands, and Touru was in awe at how easily it came apart with a twist, one half devoid of the seed and the other still filled.

“That was impressive,” Touru murmured, unable to take his eyes off Kyouya’s hands as they took up the knife again silently, slamming the knife into the pit and moving his wrist slightly, allowing the seed to pop out easily. “You’re very good at— Ah!” Touru’s yelped with surprise as his next step was to bang the knife on the cutting board twice, the pit falling off.

“That’s how you’re supposed to do it, yes,” Kyouya replied calmly, answering a question that Touru hadn’t even asked yet. Touru sighed, blaming him for the near-heart attack he had just had. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Kyouya smiled as he divided the avocado into quarters, peeling the skin off easily and throwing them into the trashcan. “Chopping them is the easy part. You can do that.” Kyouya went to pick up the other bowl where Touru had earlier prepared the blend of oils and vinegar, hoping that he had remembered the salt and pepper as well. Giving it a quick whisk, Kyouya moved to add it to the bowl with the chopped solids, taking the spoon and covering all the ingredients with the blended dressing, while Touru finished his chopping and added it, watching Kyouya’s hands again as they kept at combining it together, creating a… delicious-looking salad. Had he really helped with that?

“See?” Kyouya slid the bowl towards Touru with a smile, showing him their handiwork. “You did an excellent job helping.”

Touru glanced upward, feeling a small blush cross his face as he instantly diverted his eyes. “You did most of the work.”

Kyouya watched Touru with quiet eyes, before bending down and giving him a quick on the forehead. “But I didn’t do it all. Besides, it will taste better when you know you worked on it.”

And upon trying it, Touru realized that he was right. It did taste better knowing that he had cut a lot of it himself, and learned something from the experience, hoping that he would get many more chances to practice before university ate up all his time again.

“Will we?”

Kyouya looked up from his book and food, raising an eyebrow. “Will we what, Touru?”

He suddenly realized that he had asked the question without any spoken context, and shoved his fork into the salad, taking a big bite and ignoring Kyouya’s question completely out of embarrassment. Kyouya watched him for a moment, waiting to see if he would elaborate, but heard nothing, looking back to his page with a soft smile.

“…Cook more,” came his response about five minutes later.

“Of course, Touru. Whatever you want to learn, we can do.”

“Then I’ll be cutting avocados by myself by the end of this vacation.”

“That sounds like a deal,” Kyouya replied, looking to Touru as he closed his book and dropped the fork into his empty bowl. “That’s what we’ll aim for.”

Touru gave a silent cheer, eagerly moving to collect his and Kyouya’s dishes. “Thank you,” he said excitedly, quickly giving Kyouya a kiss that was over as soon as it started.

Kyouya placed a hand to his cheek, watching the other man cross the kitchen to place the bowls into the sink, another small smile gracing his features.

“…You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


	9. A Promise (Hinata/Haruka)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Requested by: Anonymous  
>  Pairing: Hinata/Haruka_

Hinata had been having a particularly rough day. Something about being in high school, coupled with the stress that was oft associated with it, and packed together with being in a separate class from both his cousin _and_ brother… Suddenly all his coping methods seemed useless in the classroom.

Before the afternoon had even come, he excused himself to go to the infirmary. That place had to be quiet, without the hubbub of students in 1-C, without the thoughts of what lay outside the walls of the silent space.

When he walked in, there was a single person sitting at a desk, his back to Hinata. However, the second the door clicked shut, he turned, and Hinata’s eyes widened at the sight of a smile – given to him with absolutely no hesitation.

“Are you a new student? I haven’t seen you here before.” The school doctor leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his gaze never wavering. “I’m Doctor Haruka, but don’t bother with the title. What’s your name?”

“H-Hinata.” He recoiled slightly at the forwardness of the other man, but then decided that it was best that he push through and try to get the help he desperately needed. “Do you mind if I stay here for a few minutes, sensei?”

Haruka smiled at the honorific, despite just saying that he could use his name. “You can stay as long as you like. We don’t even have to talk if you just want to lay down on a bed.”

Hinata gave a small nod, going to lay down and wrap his arms around his stomach, trying to forget the stress of the classroom. It seemed so distant now – with the scratch of a pen, the hum of an air conditioner, and the overall sense of ease that came from this place. And the doctor seemed like a calming soul, especially with his smile and attitude.

Hinata hadn’t done a thing to earn it. He had never met the man before, never said a thing to him previously. The doctor had just given him his kindness blindly. He could have done anything to him, said anything.

“Are you going to kick me out when school ends?”

“I’m afraid that you will have to go home, but if it is necessary, I’ll allow you to stay until that time comes. I don’t mind.” Haruka turned back and smiled at the boy, and he could only stare, feeling a sense of comfort from the grin. “Do you need any help thinking of methods to help you get through the day?”

Hinata bit his lip, considering his options. There was a chance that this man could actually help him, and that perhaps he _did_ know something. But then again, he was just… the school doctor. What did he even know? …But it was worth a shot.

“I wouldn’t mind it.”

Haruka gave a nod and rolled himself over in his chair, coming to a stop alongside the bed as he looked Hinata up and down. “Then, I’ll do my best to help you, always. That’s a promise.”

Hinata couldn’t help a smile, for just a moment. _Thank you._

* * *

Haruka hummed a small tune as he walked down the halls of the school at lunchtime, wondering if Viktor or Kyouya were available to eat with him that day. However, he doubted that either was free – he knew Viktor was packing for a trip, and therefore most likely trying to dodge work, and that Kyouya was off finding him all by himself.

“Lunch alone, then,” he said aloud with a sigh, but as he glanced towards an open classroom, he saw someone sitting at a desk, alone.

“Hinata?”

The boy looked towards the doorway, seeing Haruka there and made a strangled sound, tear lines evident on his face. He instantly turned away again, burying his face into his crossed arms.

“Hinata, hang on a moment…” Haruka stepped into the room and slid the door shut behind him, crossing the distance in two strides and leaning against the adjacent desk. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing’s the matter, sensei,” he said bitterly, and Haruka said nothing, opting to wait a moment and allow Hinata a chance to either speak further, or resist him and tell another lie. So he crossed his arms, looking out the window until his voice came again.

“It’s just about my past.”

“You don’t have to tell me a thing,” Haruka offered, and Hinata nodded into his arms. “I wasn’t planning on it, sensei.”

“You don’t have to keep calling me that, as well. ‘Haruka’ will do just fine, didn’t I say that?”

“I… I-I didn’t want to offend you.”

“If I gave you the permission, why would I be offended in the first place?”

Hinata grew silent again, and Haruka winced, knowing he had hit a nerve. “I swear I won’t be mad at you for it.”

“Doesn’t mean much,” Hinata murmured, tilting his head to look up at the doctor. “Not to me, anyway.”

“It doesn’t.”

The teal eyes that peered up at him were tired and wet, and Haruka instantly felt his heart drop as he knelt next to the desk, thinking to brush his bangs away, but the boy shifted slightly, and Haruka dropped his hand in understanding.

“…Haruka.”

“Yes?”

“…Just testing it out.”

Haruka briefly thought to move away and leave him be, but then remembered he had no company for the afternoon, and smiled softly. “Do you want to eat lunch in the infirmary with me, Hinata? I’d rather not eat alone.”

“I’d like that,” he agreed with a sniffle, sitting up and slowly easing out of the chair, following Haruka out, walking close behind.

* * *

The door opened at an odd hour of the day. Most of the students had gone home by now, and the sports practices hadn’t started yet. Haruka looked up and back from his papers and saw Hinata standing in the doorway, twisting his sleeve around a finger.

“Hinata? This is a strange time for you to come in. What’s the matter?”

“I… I don’t want to go to detention.” He bit his lip and closed the door, but not before casting a glance up and down the hallway. “Kyouya-sensei is intimidating.”

“He does run the Disciplinary Committee and is in charge of class 3-C, which you’ll be in next year. I’m afraid that his attitude does come with the job.” But Haruka just gave a knowing smile and gestured to a bed. “Sit down, either way. We’ll see how long it takes him.”

Hinata paused at the sight of Haruka smiling again, and the fact he wasn’t turning him away – but instead suggesting that he stay and even _hide_ from Kyouya-sensei… and with a grateful sigh, he eased onto the bed, still fidgeting with his fingers and shirt.

“ _Is_ everything all right, Hinata?” Haruka hadn’t gone back to his papers, instead staring at Hinata, trying to decipher what was the matter.

“A… a method didn’t work over the weekend. None of them. And it was a rough time, I didn’t calm down until Soujiro and Sousuke found me in my room.”

Haruka frowned, the expression looking almost out of place on the doctor’s face. “And would you like a new one?”

“Well, being here with you helps, but you can’t always be there.” Hinata’s shoulders dropped further at this realization, and Haruka felt a twinge of regret – he did wish he could be there as well, but didn’t dare breath that aloud.

“Is there perhaps something you can think of that might help at all?”

Hinata was quiet for a minute, seemingly thinking hard on the question. Haruka stood from his chair, leaving him to his thoughts as he went to make tea, finding the box of bags and getting the electric kettle out to plug into the wall.

“Tea ceremony.”

Haruka paused, the sudden voice causing him to tense before he recalled that Hinata was in there with him. “What about it?”

“It was something my mother did. And she taught me a lot of it. It always helped me to calm down back then, but then I began to associate with her, and… it stopped working.”

Haruka left the kettle to boil as he went back to the chair, rolling over towards Hinata and sitting before him. “Do you think it has a chance of working again?”

“…If I could give it new meaning, perhaps. Is there a chance I could do it here, with you?” His eyes suddenly widened, and he pulled back from the doctor, his legs moving to join him on the bed. “I-I-I actually don’t mean—“

“I would be honored to spend time with you, and learn more about tea ceremony.” Haruka took the thought and ran with it, seeing a shred of potential. “I have always been curious to learn about the finer points of it after the one festival, and to know that you are able to do it would be extremely interesting to watch…”

“…I can do it, then!” Hinata opened up to Haruka again, a smile growing. “I-If I can bring one of my tea sets next time.”

“I would like that very much,” Haruka said, placing a hand on Hinata’s where it had fallen to rest on the bed. “Bring it in whenever you can, and we’ll leave it in here.”

Hinata’s hand tensed up from the familiar touch, as comforting and honest as it was. He looked to Haruka’s eyes, trying to find a trace of doubt or malicious intent in them, and found nothing but –

“Excuse me?” The door clicked and the two backed away from each other as quickly as they could, Haruka almost falling back in his chair and Hinata tugging his legs onto the bed again. The door opened and Kyouya-sensei was standing there, a hand going to his pocket as he gave Hinata an accusing look.

“You are currently skipping out on detention,” he said plainly.

“I know,” Hinata quipped back, and Kyouya sighed, opening the door further and gesturing for Hinata to follow. “Let’s go. You can’t stay in Haruka-sensei’s office for your detention.”

With a look to Haruka, Hinata slid slowly off the bed, going to follow Kyouya-sensei as he began to pick at his sleeves again.

“Kyouya,” Haruka said before the door shut. “Be gentle on him, all right?”

“I was planning on it, Haruka.” And with that, the bolt clicked, and Haruka leaned back in his chair again, regretting that he hadn’t fought a little harder to keep Hinata there a few minutes longer.

But he couldn’t – in case Kyouya caught onto his feelings. And he couldn’t risk that at all. He couldn’t let them out… not now, not ever.

* * *

After three years, Hinata knew the path to the infirmary by heart, was sure that he could do it with his eyes closed, and knew exactly what lay behind those doors. He would often reflect on it in times of mild stress, thinking of the comforting aura it brought. Haruka would be there, with a warm smile, already having the box and tea tray out of the closet for him. Then they would sit and Hinata would go through the process of serving the tea, letting Haruka even help or ask questions during the process itself. He always felt that it wasn’t true ceremony, then, but he enjoyed talking about it with the doctor. It gave the entire activity more significance, and Haruka was a patient and kind learner, allowing Hinata his own time to answer questions or settle down if an idea began to overwhelm him, taking up his hands and holding them until they stopped shaking. His presence was comforting, and he looked forward to those visits.

However, it hadn’t been easing him as of late. Rather, the routine of needing to go to Haruka’s office, especially even for when he didn’t need it, but rather just wanted to spend time with him… had begun to make him anxious. Worry began to fill his heart as the infirmary came ever closer, and Hinata struggled to keep his pace as even and as focused as possible.  He wanted to go inside, so desperately, to see his happy and gentle demeanor, but then didn’t want to enter, out of fear. Something inside him stirred when he saw Haruka in the halls or in his office, how they had moments reserved for just each other, and that he cared for him so deeply…

And he hated it. It was the same thing that he had thought with his family, and what had they done to him? She had left, and Haruka was probably the same way. He would be happy when he graduated, and Hinata knew that after that, he couldn’t see Haruka again. There would be nothing for him to see, nothing for them to talk about or bond over. Haruka wouldn’t want to see him, Haruka wouldn’t _want_ that—

“Hinata, you’re early.”

The soothing voice pried him out of his thoughts, causing his head to snap up and see the doctor standing before his closet, in the process of pulling out the tea ceremony box and tray. “Not by a lot, but still early.”

 _Does that disappoint you? Do you loathe spending time with me that much?_ The words rose and died on his tongue, with little heart to them. His mind just kept saying it couldn’t be true, there was no way that Haruka could hate him –

_And didn’t you think the same of others before?_

“Hinata?”

“I’m sorry for being early,” was what ended up coming out of his mouth soon after, and Haruka laughed.

“It just means I get to be with you a little bit longer.” Haruka held out the box and tray towards Hinata, allowing him to take them and begin to kneel on the rug in the infirmary. Haruka followed suit, feeling it in his knees, thinking quietly that if these continued, it would do him good to invest in a couple of pillows, or ask Hinata to bring some in. _In fact, he must have some, right?_ Haruka watched as Hinata got out all the pieces with shaking motions, his hands clearly unable to keep a solid grip on the ceramic. Haruka’s eyes were trained on each hand as they moved, his own hands slightly tense and resisting the urge to move to help Hinata.

The cups all made it, along with the dishes, and the tools. Last was the teapot, and Hinata lifted it out, beginning to move it away.

And then it slipped out of his fingers, going towards the floor. However, Haruka was faster, lunging forward and grabbing the teapot before it hit the ground. For a moment, there was a silence between them, and Haruka’s looked up to find himself face-to-face with Hinata, their noses mere centimeters apart. Hinata suddenly realized their position, flinging himself backwards as his cheeks turned a dark pink, curling up slightly on the floor.

“I’m s-so s-sorry, sensei…”

Haruka sighed, moving to place the teapot on the tray before standing to move towards Hinata, kneeling down before him and delicately taking his wrists, feeling his pulse while as he slowly opening the other boy’s fingers, which retaliated and gripped at Haruka’s own wrists like a lifeline.

“Hinata, you haven’t called me that in two years. What’s the matter?”

“I-I don’t want to get close to you.”

“It’s… a little late for that, I’m afraid.” He gave a small smile and lifted his hands up slightly, showing Hinata’s hold on him as he began to rotate his hands and wrap his fingers around the other boy’s wrists. “What’s actually the matter, Hinata?”

“I don’t know. The tea ceremony wasn’t helping.” His voice had gotten smaller, and he began to pull in on himself again, but took Haruka with him this time, holding his wrists ever closer. “I wasn’t relaxing as I started, and even as I walked down here, I wasn’t even thinking about how this would help… just how anxious I would be, here, with you. And that you hate me. You’re hating me right now, for almost dropping the teapot, for coming early, for spending time with you and needing you as a crutch—“

Suddenly, Hinata felt hands on his cheeks, the lack of something to hold in his own hands gone. They were cool to the touch, and Hinata’s fingers wrapped around Haruka’s wrists again, holding tight, as if he just wanted him to never leave from this position. He just wanted for this moment to be genuine, for it to last forever, frozen in time.

But it was quickly fading as he came to grips with his own feelings and situation, realizing that he had come to depend on the other man, come to love his kind words, his patient attitude, and even his tender touch when he allowed it. And most of all…

Haruka’s fingers held his face tighter, with a most determined look in his eyes as he tried to figure out Hinata’s feelings. And as Hinata’s fingers slowly began to slacken around his wrists, he allowed himself a gentle smile, and leaned his forehead against the other’s.

“It’s okay, Hinata. I don’t mind. I will always care for you. I don’t want to leave you, and at times when you are here I don’t want you to leave. I could never hate you.”

Hinata let out a choked sob, apologies falling off his lips as Haruka only remained still, listening to each one with closed eyes and a solemn frown, trying to think of what he could do to help him.

But nothing was coming to mind except _listen. Be patient. And be there for him._

And he did just that. He waited for Hinata to finish, he listened to each word he said with understanding, nodding or making a sound when necessary. His words were filled with stutters and he fell over his own lips, speaking of a time how he cared so much for someone and then they left, and there was nothing he could do about it, and how _betrayed_ he felt… each sentence was peppered with an apology, something about how he felt for Haruka, that he wanted to love him and have it in return.

Finally, his words gave in to small choked sobs, and Haruka could only then pull him into a tight hug, allowing Hinata to bury his head into his shoulder as he stroked his hair. Fists curled into his shirt, tugging at the fabric.

“Don’t ever go.”

“I won’t ever leave.” Haruka paused for just a moment, before turning his head slightly to press a brief kiss into Hinata’s temple. “I promise.”


	10. The Matchmaker's Burden (Ai/Tokiya)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Requested by: Anonymous_   
>  _Pairing: Ai/Tokiya_

Ai couldn’t help himself from watching Tokiya when he was in the audience shooting arrows or in the wings of the stage. Kurou was always kind enough to give him a role of matchmaker in their plays, be it the wingman for the leading male, the angelic cupid who tells the hero of their destiny, or simply the small boy on the doorstep who talks to the villain about the power of love. It was then his job to help the audience give power to the hero and allow him to fulfill his quest. 

And it was also to give Tokiya confidence in his abilities and have all the girls in the audience fall for him. Despite the fact they clearly were in love already. Everyone wanted the attention of the prince after the plays, to the point where Ai had to run the first bouquets to the dressing room so that Tokiya could accept more. By the end, his throat was scratchy and his hair a little tousled, but he still always made time to ask Ai about his performance, and in return, critique his. 

That was just the kind of person he was. A caring, honest boy who Ai hadn’t meant to fall for. But it happened all the same.

Had he known, Ai might have tried to stop it. His role as resident matchmaker was often respected in the drama club and people didn’t pay too much attention to his antics, so long as arrows no longer hit people’s eyes and his long soliloquies on true love were limited to three minutes. He was not supposed to fall in love himself; especially not with the very person who he was working for constantly to match him up with the girls in the audience. 

But Tokiya’s personality and looks caused his heart to beat faster, and when he helped him out putting make up or costumes on, he had trouble keeping eye contact with him or staying still. There was just something he couldn’t shake off when it came to being around the other actor. 

However, as he pushed his feelings aside, they still they grew despite his best attempts to smother them. In return, he vowed to remain the cupid actor, having accepted his role long ago. For Tokiya and the audience, he wouldn’t ever go beyond that.

He would be fine with just that.

* * *

 

After winter break, the drama club gathered together for the mini production they would be hosting before Shakespeare in the spring. Everyone was buzzing with excitement at what Kurou’s script would be this time – he often had excellent ideas after break and each new idea was well-thought on and unique… aside from the occasional clichés. 

“Ryuu, you’re the villain, of course.” He handed the script to him and Ryuu read his character’s summary. 

“Personification of a dragon. Again?” 

“It’s only the second time, Ryuu! Dragons work well in this play, and I promise, you’ll have an excellent time with the role. You command a legion of mini dragons.”

“…I suppose that’s fine.”

Kurou moved onto other people, and Ai watched as people read over their scripts. He wanted to know what the play was about, but decided to wait, instead cracking a smile at how Tokiya was leaning around Ryuu’s shoulder to read the summary and beginning of the play, much to Ryuu’s displeasure. When he finally got handed his own script, he gave a grin and bow, and Ryuu let out a sign of relief.

“Ai!” Kurou gave a grin as he waved a script before Ai’s face, breaking him out of his gaze. 

“Hm?”

“I’ve decided – I’m going to finally do a play with something I’ve wanted for a while!! I had to wait a little to see if I could pull it off, but I caved into my desire and decided to do it. You’ll be the role of our princess.”

“What?!” Ai looked up at Kurou with shock as everyone else looked to stare. “I don’t usually play anything but the romantic characters or the minor roles—“

“Yes, but we need a princess for this play! Just for  _once_ , I wanted to have a damsel in distress, a fair young maiden…!”

“If you don’t want the role,” Tokiya said, giving Ai a dashing smile, “That’s fine by me. Take what you’re comfortable with.”

Ai cast his eyes downward, and saw that Tokiya’s script had the role of the hero highlighted, and decided that maybe, he could make the choice. 

“No, I’ll play the princess, Tokiya. I don’t mind!” Ai waved his hands around, crinkling the script, and Tokiya gave a sigh of relief. “All right then!”

Kurou clapped his hands together once to stop the murmurs, and gathered everyone around in a circle for the first script reading. Tokiya sat down next to Ai as they moved to the stage floor, and every time he spoke Ai couldn’t help but watch the way his lips moved and his character blossomed – the role of the prince would always suit him so well.

Could he even compare as his princess? He stumbled over his lines because it would then be his turn while he got lost in Tokiya’s voice, and he heard a couple younger students snickering, but Tokiya would glance over his glasses at them before giving Ai a reassuring smile. Those small bursts of confidence would help, but with the side effect of blushing and small stutters each time he started his lines. He hated how nervous he was, and he became worried that Kurou would pull him aside at the end and tell him to change roles. 

However, Tokiya was the one who pulled him aside at the end instead, giving a grin as an arm slid around his shoulders. “It’s wonderful that you got a role worthy of your talents as an actor. I’m looking forward to working with you.” 

Ai nodded, as confidently as he could muster, as the two of them walked to the 3rd year café after rehearsal. 

“Are you afraid of having a new role?” Tokiya’s eyes glinted in a teasing fashion, and Ai pouted. “Not at all, it’s just a little… well…” 

_I can’t say that it’s because I’m excited to be playing a romantic lead next to him!_

“It’ll be a difference playing the princess, is all.”

Tokiya laughed as he got the door for Ai, holding it open and giving a sweeping bow. “After you then, my fair lady.” 

Ai gave an attempted curtesy back before walking in, sitting at a table with Tokiya as they pulled out their scripts to look over them again. The discussions over coffee revealed that Ai really didn’t have any ideas how to totally play a princess – he was a little out of his element. He was getting the idea by the end after watching videos on his phone and discussing tones, and he was happy to learn from his crush – and also be offered his number.

“I already have it,” he said with a sigh, and Tokiya stared. “When did you— Oh right! From that one regional drama competition we attended. Well, either way, we can practice together. You’re getting the hang of it, but I’ll gladly offer you help if you need it. Before or after rehearsals, even weekends, if you’re willing to come over or host me.”

Ai felt his brain nearly short circuit, but managed to retain a part of his speech and said, “T-That would be fine!! I’d appreciate it very much!!”

“I’ll text you, then.”

Ai’s heart skipped a beat.

* * *

 

“Say you’ll run away with me, my princess.” Tokiya looked to Ai, and he felt his heart beginning to beat faster. He was barely able to choke out his lines, but pushed over the lump in his throat and replied. 

Tokiya had suggested that they do another run-through. The stage direction rehearsals were starting that afternoon, and Ai was having issues getting through all of his lines. He knew that Ryuu was staring daggers every time he was unable to stumble through them, and Tokiya texted him to call an emergency meeting before rehearsal.

“But our kingdoms are at war.” He didn’t like the high-pitched, nervous tone that he had, and hoped Tokiya didn’t think he was trying to imitate a feminine voice. “Our fathers would never approve of our love. You would lose your right to the throne.”

Tokiya stepped closer to Ai, and took his hand, lifting it to his face.

“Ah, but princess, if it is a choice between a kingdom and your love, then it would not be a choice at all.” The warm breath on Ai’s fingers made his hand want to close and pull away, but Tokiya’s grip tightened as Ai began to tug. 

“You mean more to me than all the kingdoms in the world combined. Say it. Say you’ll be my bride.”

Ai could only stare, breathless and wide-eyed, at the brown-haired boy across from him. Tokiya’s eyes twinkled behind his glasses and he kissed Ai’s hand, finally releasing it as Ai yanked away. 

“Ahhhh! I’m sorry, Tokiya! I lost focus!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said with a smile and laugh. “You still sounded lovely. We’ll need to work on your nerves, though.” 

“Y-yes, it’s something I’m getting over.” 

“Although, they aren’t usually a problem…” Tokiya took Ai’s hand again. “You’re shaking.”

Ai gave a half-hearted attempt to tug away, but Tokiya only looked to him, puzzled. “Is everything okay, Ai?”

“…I’m not sure. Nothing’s wrong, but I think that I might not be able to play the princess.”

“That’s not true, you’re a very good actor.” Tokiya squeezed Ai’s hand. “But if something’s wrong, you can tell me.”

“I… I think I might have fallen for you. I’m sorry, Tokiya. I feel like I’m betraying you, because I try to make the audience love you instead, but…” Ai lost his words and faded into silence. Tokiya stared for a few moments, before clutching Ai’s hand to his chest with both of his hands, closing his eyes. 

“I’m sorry to confess that I’ve fallen for the matchmaker. Despite his best attempts to pair me with others, I’m afraid none of them have moved my heart quite as passionately as he has.” Tokiya lifted Ai’s hand to his lips again, but this time, he didn’t feel the urge to pull away at the feeling of his breath and the tender hold on his fingers. 

“You are my most important princess.” Tokiya kissed his hand again, a little longer the second time. 

“Can’t I just be yours, Tokiya?” Ai gave a small sighing laugh. “Instead of just your princess.”

“That works too,” Tokiya said, and Ai felt the smile on his lips. “I would not mind being your boyfriend. I’d even prefer it over being just your prince in a play.”

“…You’re really cheesy, Tokiya.”

“And you’re very wonderful.”

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was written for the NMS blog notice-mesenpai at http://notice-mesenpai.tumblr.com . If you want to read my fics before they're posted here and see some awesome art, check us out!
> 
> If you would like to request a ficlet, either leave a comment below, send a request to the blog, or join us on the public NMS Discord chat at https://discord.gg/CBGkHEA !!! We'd love to have you there!


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